Corrugated paperboard is typically used in many different applications, for example, to form containers, boxes, cartons, or dividers for holding, storing, stacking or shipping various articles.
Typically, corrugated containers have a bottom and four side walls, and are formed from a blank that scored with fold lines or cut lines. Optionally, the container may include a top made from a separate blank for covering the opening of the container. The blanks are most often formed by automated machines in a continuous in-line process involving cutting, scoring, and molding continuous sheets of cardboard or paperboard. The paperboard may then be folded along the score lines or cut lines to form a container. The blanks may be folded into a container by an automated machine or by a consumer. Containers, fabricated in whole or in part, from paper, paperboard, cardboard, and corrugated paperboard, are employed for the shipping and storage of a variety of articles. One such category of article is printable media. Printable media may be generally shipped and stored in containers. Many shipping container designs that utilize cardboard materials require an arrangement that can securely transport the articles within the container while reducing the risk of damaging the articles therein.
Many contemporary designs have variations of containers having an interlocking and stackable arrangement with an open-top having a removable lid such as the features disclosed by Dunkin in U.S. Pat. No. 3,114,493. These containers are formed from one-piece blanks of corrugated material and function to prevent removal of the contents within the container during shipment and storage.
However, the containers of the prior art each have a problem in utilization that makes it relatively unattractive to manufacture or use. For example, a container with stacked containers positioned above requires that the stacked containers be removed in order for a user to remove the top or cover and access the articles therein. Some require complicated procedures to assemble the container. Others require fasteners such as staples or glue for assembly, which in addition to higher costs, make it difficult to disassemble the container for storage and re-use without damaging the container.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a cost-efficient container that is easy to assemble and disassemble and which has multiple features that allow it to be easily stacked with other containers to form a container stack that is stable and which minimizes damages to the containers in the stack. It is also an object to the present disclosure to provide a container that provides quick and easy access to its contents while it may be maintained in a stackable arrangement while generally protecting the contents thereof.
These and other desirable characteristics of the disclosure will become apparent in light of the present specification, including claims, and figures.